You don’t need to be a hardcore Pittsburgh Steelers fan to see how much Kenny Pickett has regressed from his rookie season.
There’s no arguing the fact that he’s been not good. The only thing he’s done to help them to their surprising 6-4 record is not turn the ball over. But no picks should be the result when you barely average 170 yards per game. There are a few balls that should’ve been intercepted but dropped, so he’s been lucky — as have the Steelers as a whole — but he hasn’t thrown one since Week 4.
Pickett’s 6.1 yards-per-attempt is good for 35th in the NFL among quarterbacks with over 200 passing attempts. Through 10 games as a rookie, he threw for 2,041 yards to this season’s 1,722.
All we heard in the offseason was about Pickett’s work habits. He took very little time off after Pittsburgh failed to make the playoffs to work diligently on a number of essentials like film study and mechanics. Yet he’s playing far worse now than in his first 13 career games.
So, the reason behind his drop-off could be all in his head. Recall Pickett suffered two concussions in eight games as a rookie. A third in two seasons at such an early stage in his career would be detrimental.
Instead of going through his progressions, he’s rolling out (into sacks), leaving open receivers empty-handed. When he does throw the ball, he’s been woefully inaccurate.
What the change in offensive coordinator will do to help pull Pickett off the struggle bus is yet to be seen. Like Matt Canada, Mike Sullivan only calls the plays, not makes them. It gave Pickett a new lease on life — Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers will allow him this season and next, under Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner and whoever takes over in the 2024 season, to turn things around. If he doesn’t become the reason the Steelers are winning, it’s back to the drawing board.
